


see you in a new light

by poplocknsonnet



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, oblivious idiots in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 16:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15800592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poplocknsonnet/pseuds/poplocknsonnet
Summary: Ruby turns to Kara for reassurance that Alex is in it for the long haul with her mom, but Kara's best attempts at describing how Alex shows affection are confused by her own "just friendship" with Lena.





	see you in a new light

**Author's Note:**

> Probably the shortest fic I've ever written. Written while taking a short break from Gleams of Sunshine.

“Kara?” Ruby asked, her voice timid, unsure, “Can I ask you some questions? It’s okay if you’re busy, I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

Kara looked up from her work. “Of course, Ruby. I can finish this later, what’s up?” She saved the article that she had been working on, closed her laptop, and deposited it onto the coffee table in front of her. “Sit, please,” she said, patting the couch next to her.

Ruby sat down and chewed at her lip for a few seconds before asking, “How can you tell that someone likes someone?”

The young girl looked so distraught that Kara knew it would be inappropriate to smile, but she asked with an earnestness that made it hard not to. “Is this about someone at school?”

Ruby shook her head. “No, it’s- I know Mom tries not to let it show, but it’s been hard for her with it just being her and me, and she’s so happy, and I just-” Ruby’s voice caught in her throat and she took a deep breath before continuing, her lower lip quivering. “How do we know that Alex won’t leave too?”

“Sweetheart, oh,” Kara said, “Alex likes your mom a whole lot. So much.”

“Yes,” Ruby said plaintively, “But how can you tell?”

Kara tapped her index finger against her lips and hummed. “Let me think,” she said, fully aware of how importantly she had to choose her words. “Well,” she said eventually, “I don’t know how well you know Alex, but I’ve never seen her smile this much. She’s not an unhappy person, but she’s- I guess I’d call her reserved?”

“Alex? Reserved? She’s like, the sappiest person I’ve ever met,” Ruby said in surprise.

Kara nodded. “Yeah, she’s only like that around your mom. She’s usually really serious and kind of scary.”

“Oh,” Ruby said, as something clicked for her, “So it’s like how Lena only really smiles when you’re around?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Kara said, her face crinkling in confusion, “Lena smiles more than anyone else I know.”

Ruby shrugged. “I guess I only see her when I visit mom at work. Maybe she has a business face.”

“That must be it,” Kara agreed quickly. Eager to change the subject back to something that didn’t make her heart race so, she thought more about Alex’s behavior. “She- she buys your mom flowers,” she said, “Alex never bought me flowers, but she sends me pictures of bouquets at least once a week asking what your mom will think.”

“We do have a lot more flowers around the house these days,” Ruby admitted, “Didn’t Lena fill your office with flowers that one time?”

“Oh, that was different. She was just thanking me for believing in her when no one else did.”

“So what are things that Alex does that she only does because she likes my mom as more than a friend?”

“Well,” Kara said, thinking hard, “Whenever Alex orders food, she knows your mom’s favorites without asking.”

“Just like how you always order for Lena when she’s late to game night?”

“She took time off of work to go to that Carly Rae Jepsen concert with your mom. I don’t think Alex knows any of her songs other than ‘Call Me Maybe’ and I can’t remember the last day off that she took.”

“You spent three days in San Francisco with Lena at a nuclear engineering conference.”

“I was there as a reporter!” Kara exclaimed, but the redness of her cheeks gave away the lie. “She only- we’re just friends.”

“So you’re saying that Alex just thinks of my mom as a friend?”

“No! Gosh, no, sweetheart, Alex likes your mom so much.”

“But you keep telling me how everything she does could just be a friend thing,” Ruby wailed, “This is a disaster.”

“No no no,” Kara said quickly, “Alex gets this look in her eyes when she talks about Sam, it’s like-”

“Like no one else in the world exists? Like no matter what else is going on, she can be happy because mom exists?”

“Yes,” Kara said in surprise, “How did you know?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “It’s the same look you get whenever you talk about Lena.”

Kara’s face fell. “No, that’s not the same, it’s-”

“It’s also the look that Lena gets whenever she talks about you.”

“Lena doesn’t- what?” Kara turned to Ruby, who shrank back from the intensity of the older woman’s gaze.

“It’s true. Her eyes get all far-away. It’s kind of gross.”

“I don’t- Ruby, are you sure?”

Ruby nodded “I’m not blind,” she said, “It’s super obvious.”

“I have to go somewhere,” Kara said, her eyes wide with realization. In her haste to get up, she tripped over the coffee table. She quickly picked herself up and raced for the door, too focused on getting to Lena to care about little things like changing out of sweatpants or picking her keys up out of the dish by the door.

“Wait!” Ruby cried out, “You’re supposed to be babysitting me!”

But it was too late, and Kara had already left, the door closing behind her with a quiet _click_.

Ruby waited a few minutes in order to be certain that Kara had really gone, before fetching a can of soda from the refrigerator and sinking back into the couch.

“Finally,” she said, turning the TV on and idly flicking through the channels, “I thought she’d never get the hint. For a CEO and a superhero, they’re both really bad at seeing what’s right under their noses.”


End file.
